Freaky Friday: The Dixon Version
by Haitus80
Summary: Daryl and Merle can't seem to find common ground at the prison, leading to constant tension. On a supply run with Carol they once again find themselves at each others throats. The next day, they wake up to realize that they are really going to see what it is like in the other's shoes... Or skin. (Comedy) Basically season 3 except Merle didn't die, obviously. All Caryl, as usual.
1. Chapter 1

**This was a prompt from Halohunter that I couldn't put off. There is a possibility that it has already been done in this fandom but I haven't heard of any stories like it so I ran with it. Anyway, hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading.**

 **Chapter One**

The clouds hung low, oppressive, bloated with the heavy weight of rain that the skies refused to part with just yet. The atmosphere was thick with tension and Carol tried to hide her anxiety as she made her way to the eerie wooden structure. She was flanked by two of the most capable men she had ever known and she had complete faith in herself when it came down to fighting for her life, but still a deep nervousness gnawed at her. Her nervousness didn't have a clean and cut explanation.

There was simply the feeling of... wrongness. A wrongness that had nothing to do with the typical dangers they faced all the time. The air was too still and it felt charged somehow, thick.

"Why the fuck are we even here?" Merle growled, not for the first time.

Carol glanced at him. She would have laughed at the look on his face but she didn't much feel like giving him a hard time. Not when it was clear that he felt the same wrongness that she did. Instead of laughing she simply shrugged. "Because we need to keep our meds stocked. There's a lot of good to be had from natural remedies, herbs, plants, roots. This seems like the type of place that could have something useful and maybe no one else has thought about raiding it."

She hadn't even been sure the place would still be standing, or that it would indeed contain anything that could be deemed useful, but they had to try. It would be a waste if they missed out on something just because it was a long shot. They had driven past the place several times on different runs but she had never thought to check it out. It was, or had been, a shop that sold occult items and there was a chance they could have something that she could take back to the prison.

Merle grunted as they paused in front of the door. It was intact, which was a good sign. There was always a chance of walkers inside but the three of them could easily take them down. He had his gun in his good hand and nodded for Daryl to open it but their caution wasn't needed this time. The place was bare of any beings, living or dead.

"We ain't gonna find shit in here but dust and probably murder victims from before the world ended," Merle complained once they started their hunt. There were no windows in the place and the gray light that seeped in from the open door didn't do much to brighten the room. They turned on their flashlights and shut the door behind them.

Daryl hadn't said anything in a while and Carol knew that he was avoiding anymore conflict with his brother. The two of them had been at each others throats for most of the trip and it had finally ended when a small herd of walkers came up on the three of them as the two brother's were fighting. Carol had been between them, trying to get them to calm down, when a walker had appeared behind her, grabbing her upper arms and nearly sinking it's teeth into the side of her neck, Dracula style.

Luckily Daryl had ripped the thing away from her and killed it for good while she and Merle fought off the other ones. Daryl was visibly shaken from the near miss but Merle seemed to have already forgotten the incident. As for Carol, well, it had been a close call but she was here and alive and in one piece so it wasn't something she planned on dwelling on. Even if she could still feel the cold rotted fingers digging into her arms.

"You okay?" Daryl asked, his voice hushed.

She looked over at him and offered a lopsided smile. "I'm fine."

He nodded, not pressing the issue, but she noticed, as they searched the shelves full of strange vials and jars, all marked, that he constantly glared in his brother's direction. It hadn't been Merle's fault exactly. All of them had done something foolish. The two men shouldn't have been fighting in the first place and she should have been paying attention to their surroundings.

"Think I found a jar full of foreskins," Merle called from the other side of the room. He was peering into what looked like a black cookie jar. "You hungry little brother?"

Daryl growled but didn't reply.

Merle chuckled. "You could take some back to your fearless leader and share with him. Seems like somethin' you'd do. Share a bowl of dicks with the big boss man."

"Why don't you shut your fuckin' mouth for five minutes, Merle," Daryl snapped. "You've done enough damage for one day."

Carol groaned but didn't say anything. She found several large containers of turmeric root and hurriedly shoved them into her bag. So far the bag was already half full of useful things so she didn't regret stopping. She was tired of them constantly at each others throats, though. Maybe if they finally beat the hell out of each other they would get it out of their system. This had been brewing for a long time. Maybe since Daryl was old enough to walk.

As the two men argued back and forth she started lighting candles until the room was filled with a soft flickering light. It added to the eeriness of the little shop but at least they could save their batteries.

Daryl bristled at her side and she looked up at him. His face was a mask of fury but she had tuned out their bickering so she wasn't sure why he looked so angry. "You think maybe you wouldn't be so fuckin' miserable there if you'd try not to treat people like shit? Nobody there owes you a damn thing, Merle. The way I see it, you owe us."

Merle took a few steps closer, his own cold fury written in the deep lines of his forehead as he glared at Daryl from under his brow. "What? You want me to strut around in there like you! You want me to hold my head all high and proud because I made a useful fuckin' lapdog outta myself? You don't know shit about how life is for me in that shit hole. If it was my choice we'd never go back. I'm there cause that's where you are. You and your big ol happy family. But trust me you little mother fucker, I get it. You just made it clear as crystal."

"What the fuck are you even talkin' about?" Daryl asked, running a hand through his hair, clearly upset.

Merle smiled but it was a dangerous smile, full of venom. "If you don't know then I ain't gonna waste my time explaining it to you. How about we just agree to stay the hell away from each other from now on, huh? I'll leave you and your people alone and you won't have to be burdened. You just keep in mind that before all this, I was the only goddamn person in the world that ever gave a fuck about you."

Carol knew exactly what was wrong with Merle and she felt bad for him. Daryl hadn't even realized that it was more hurt that was fueling Merle than anger now. Daryl had excluded him. His words _you owe us_ had caused Merle to visibly flinch. Daryl had separated the two of them with his words, like Merle was and always would be an outsider. Through his own anger and stress, she doubted Daryl even realized what he had said, and that probably made it that much worse for his brother.

Carol wouldn't ever pretend that Merle was her favorite person in the world. He was rude and abrasive and sometimes even cruel, but she could see that there were times that he really did try. All he wanted was to be near his brother... a brother that seemed to look down on him just like the rest of them did.

"Do you think that maybe you were too hard on him?" she whispered once Merle turned away.

Daryl looked down at her, his eyes quickly flitting away. "Just because he's an asshole, you just about got killed today. I'm fuckin' tired."

"He tries, Daryl. That wasn't the fault of just him. You were fighting too and I wasn't paying any attention to-"

"So that was my goddamn fault?" he asked, speaking louder than he had meant to.

"No. All I'm saying is, I don't think either of you have any idea how it is for the other and maybe if you-"

Her voice cut off as an ear slitting crack of thunder sounded, shaking the walls, causing the jars to rattle on the shelves, causing her very bones to vibrate. Impossibly the candlelight flickered and half of the flames extinguished though there was no draft. The peel of thunder tapered off, leaving Carol feeling shaken and she realized that she had gripped Daryl's arm with both hands and was now huddled into his side.

He looked down at her, his brows raised but his body wasn't tense. She laughed slightly, embarrassed at herself for getting so spooked but she took her time letting go of him. Briefly their eyes met, their gazes locked and for just a second she thought that maybe she saw something akin to longing in his eyes. Something she was all too familiar with.

"What in the fuck was that?" Merle bellowed, breaking the spell and causing her and Daryl both to jump, to pull away, to allow the stubborn masks to fall back into place.

She shook her head. "I have no idea but I think it's time we get the hell out of this place."

"That wasn't no kind of goddamn thunder I've ever felt. How the fuck does thunder blow out the candles in a closed up room?" he asked, like he hadn't ever heard her.

The answer was, no kind of thunder could do that.

"You feel that?" Daryl asked after the three of them started for the door.

For a second Carol was unsure what he meant but then she did feel it. It was as though the temperature in the room had dropped twenty degrees. She rubbed her arms briskly, trying to stave off the chill. Merle was the one that yanked the door open, stepping out of the building and into the gloomy day. Daryl had a hand on her lower back, this being one of those rare moments when his worry for her overrode his need for space. Despite the strange thing that had just occurred she smiled slightly. She had become one tough cookie since the two of them had met, but it still felt good to feel so safe in the presence of a man. Even if the man was painfully clueless of her feelings for him.

The trip home seemed to take longer than it should have, since the truck cab was filled with tension and she was trapped between two angry Dixons. The only real solace was the fact that Merle was the one driving this time and she took note that there was a good four inches of seat between Daryl and the door. He was sitting as close to her as possible, his fingers drumming restlessly on his thigh as he cast sideways glances her way.

The man was absolutely adorable but she forced herself to remain stone faced as she stared out at the storm raging outside truck.


	2. Chapter 2

**Microscopic chapter. My apologies!**

 **Chapter Two**

Daryl was damn grateful that he didn't have watch tonight. He was wound too tight to be stuck sitting up there in a guard tower with nothing but his racing thoughts to keep him occupied. Ever since they left that creepy place he had felt a little off, and he hadn't felt to great to begin with.

How many fucking times was he going to have to think that he'd lost that damn woman? He had been so pissed at his brother that he hadn't even thought that they were being too loud. He had been too fucking absorbed and the fight damn should have ended before it started but Merle was driving him crazy. Then that walker grabbed her and he saw it's teeth gnashing at her throat. In his mind, for a fraction of a second, he thought it was over.

But again, she walked away without a scratch and he was left shaken to his very marrow at the close call. She seemed to have forgotten about it completely and since it hadn't been Merle that nearly died insured that Merle probably didn't even remember it happening, but Daryl couldn't shake it this time. He felt more uneasy than he had any right too, considering she was okay.

He cared about everyone here. Well, maybe not the Woodbury people so much, but their core group were like family to him. The thought of losing any of them was rough but Carol was different. For one, he had lost her before. He already knew what it felt like and he never wanted to feel that sort of misery again.

She looked up as he stepped through the curtained doorway to her cell and grinned at him. "Can't get enough of me, huh?" she asked playfully, setting her book aside.

His gaze roamed over her hurriedly, unconsciously searching for injury. It wasn't something that he could control. "You seen Merle?" he asked, not really caring if she'd seen him or not but knowing it was a decent excuse to be in here this late.

She worried her bottom lip and then sighed heavily. "I wasn't suppose to tell you but yes, he was here a little while ago. I don't know where he went exactly. He was threatening to leave but we both know he won't." She pulled her legs up and patted the spot next to her. "You look beat."

He sat down and swiped a hand over his face. "Dealin' with Merle is hard."

She gave him a sympathetic smile and then looked away. He knew that look but he still felt a flash of annoyance when she spoke. "You told him that he owed us, Daryl. You made him feel even more like an outsider than he already did. The only reason he's here is because this is where you are and even though he wouldn't admit it in a million years, you hurt him today. Pretty badly."

He scoffed. "He knows what I meant. If he wasn't such a son of a bitch."

"I think you should talk to him," she pressed.

He eyed her. "You know what I think?"

She grinned. "You think I should shut up and mind my own business."

He nodded and leaned his head against the cold wall. "Yep."

"Are you gonna talk to him?"

He frowned. "I'll talk to him tomorrow. You're right. I'm fuckin' beat."

"Thanks for saving me... again," she said, the grin softening to a small smile.

He shrugged. "Every man needs a part time job. Even if the pay is shitty."

She hummed, giving him a look that let him know that she knew he cared, cared more than he should. "Are you telling me that you deserve compensation for your valor, Dixon. Because I could arrange something..." she winked, tried hard to hold on to her straight face but then giggled like an idiot.

"Shut up," he grumbled, standing up and pursing his lips at her in disapproval. If she had any idea how fucking hard it was for him to ignore all her little jokes she would probably stop.

She stood up with him, grabbing his wrist when he tried to turn for the door. He looked down and suddenly he felt her lips press against his jaw. He could have turned his head just an inch, should have, but he stayed still, recording the feel of it to memory to dredge up later. Just another torment. She pulled back, no more humor in her smile. "I mean it, thank you."

He gave her a stiff nod but when her hand started to slide away from his wrist he surprised himself by catching it in his. Wordlessly he squeezed her fingers gently, wishing he could do more but knowing he wouldn't. "Night," he muttered, dropping her hand and turning towards the door. He heard her sigh quietly behind him. He could hear the disappointment in the sound and it almost had him turning back to her.

"Night, Daryl."

He stepped out and blew out a heavy breath, glancing back once before stalking off to the cell next door. He still didn't feel like himself at all and was ready to get some damn rest. Maybe tomorrow he'd smooth things over with his brother. He really hadn't meant to do what he'd done. He didn't want Merle to think he was against him because he wasn't. He loved his brother. He just wished that his brother could understand Daryl's position here. Maybe then he would loosen up and accept that this place and these people weren't all bad.

And maybe tomorrow he'd decide to open his mouth and tell Carol the shit that she needed to hear. But he knew he wouldn't do that. Talking to Merle about their issues was a lot easier than talking to Carol about things.

Nah. Tomorrow would be just another typical day. He was sure of it.

~H~

She watched him walk away and rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile a little. The man was impossible. She hoped he talked to his brother soon. Merle confided in her a lot more than anyone knew. She knew him, maybe not as well as she knew his younger brother but she knew him all the same. Merle had the same potential that Daryl had but he was more stubborn. He needed to hold tight to the image and it did nothing but cause a rift between the two. Actually it caused a rift between Merle and the whole damn prison.

She got ready for bed in a hurry, wanting this day to be over with already. The tension between the brothers had her nerves stretched taught and ever since they left that little shop, she had the strangest feeling of dread. She shrugged it off, knowing it was just leftover uneasiness from the stress of the day.

Maybe in the morning Merle and Daryl would settle their differences for now. Hell, maybe she would actually get up the nerve to corner Daryl and tell him... tell him all the things that would drive him away. She sighed again and settled onto her uncomfortable bunk.

Tomorrow had to be better than today.

~H~

Merle glared up at the ceiling, stone faced. He wasn't sure why the hell he was even trying to sleep because he knew it wouldn't come. His brother had lit a fire under his ass in that creepy place earlier and it wasn't going to taper off for a while. He wanted to go beat the boys ass for what he'd said.

Daryl was the only fucking thing Merle had left in the world. The one thing that mattered at all and it simply didn't matter to the little bastard. It didn't matter because while Merle was gone, his brother had incorporated himself into this group and that was his family now. He looked down on Merle just as much as the rest of them did. It wasn't the Dixons versus the world. It was the world versus Merle alone.

 _You owe us..._

He ground his teeth together at the memory of his brother's words. It wasn't like he'd had to hear them to know, but that verbal confirmation was like a swift kick in the sack. He rolled over onto his side, his eyes trained on the open doorway and the blackness beyond. He wanted to get back at the little son of a bitch. He wanted to cause him to hurt.

Maybe tomorrow he'd start putting the moves on the little cock gobbler's woman. It wasn't like she even knew that she was his brother's woman because his brother wouldn't fucking _do_ anything. Carol tried to put it out there, to let Daryl know that she was all in. Merle could see that the stupid idiot loved her. Sentimental shithead that he was; all tragic and withdrawn.

 _You owe us..._

He rolled back over onto his back and sighed heavily. Sure, he'd like to swoop in and take the woman, just to show the bastard what it felt like to lose the only thing he had. But she'd never sway. Hell, Daryl could string her along for the next ten years and she'd follow, taking what little he was willing to give, which wasn't a damn thing.

Eventually sleep wrapped around him like a dark shroud and the pain in his gut faded with reality. Tomorrow would be better. It would have to be...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Daryl woke with a strange ache in his back. His mouth tasted vile, well, more vile the usual. Cracking open one eye he wasn't surprised to see that his cell was dark. He was usually the first one up, even if he had watch and was the last one to sleep.

He didn't feel much like getting up this morning, however. He had more aches and pains than usual and even though he couldn't put his finger on it, he just didn't feel himself. He hoped he wasn't coming down with something funky. He had way too much to do to be sick.

He made a move to rub his face and cursed when something hard slammed into his cheek. Reflexively he tried to relax his fingers since it was obvious he was holding onto something and had just smacked himself with whatever it was. The feeling of having no control over his hand had him reaching for the matches he kept on the table by his bunk.

Instead of finding what he was looking for, he slammed his hand into the wall. But he was on his left side, meaning that the table should have been within reach, not the wall. But there was a wall, and he still couldn't figure out how the hell to get his hand to cooperate.

"What the fu..." his voice trailed off and he made a startled sound in the back of his throat. Sitting up he swung his legs around, bare feet hitting the cold floor on the wrong side of his cot. That wasn't his voice. He cleared his throat and the feel was off, the sound was off...

Everything was fucking... off.

He stood up, feeling around with the hand that wasn't still somehow clamped around some sort of inanimate object. He followed the wall, tripped over something lying in the floor. He wasn't in his room. He wracked his brain, trying to remember the last thing he did tonight but all he remembered doing was lying down and brooding. Then he fell asleep in his own bed. In his own cell. Nothing had happened. Nothing had...

He reached a small table by the doorway and since he hadn't encountered any bars he knew he was in a room and not a cell. Fumbling he found what he hoped was the handle to a flashlight. His other hand still wasn't working so he worked the handle down and pressed the button with his thumb. He spun once the beam of light chased away the shadows. He knew the room but had no idea how he had gotten here. It was Merle's room. Even when they had been close, they hadn't ever shared a fucking bed. How had he gotten in here? Why did he feel like he only had one functioning hand? There was something covering his forearm. He could feel it, but what could it be and why?

He quickly held his hand up and shined the light on it.

And then he thought maybe he had blacked out because the next thing he knew he was sitting with his back to the cold bricks, head drooping. He scurried up, making a wounded animal sound as he made a grab for the flashlight that was now sitting next to him. His heart thumped hard and fast against his ribs, beating a bruise there. His mouth was dry and he knew his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

Snatching up the flashlight he aimed it once more at the prosthetic. The familiar contraption looked threatening and ominous but somehow he knew that this wasn't a prank. God, he wished it were. He walked with purpose to the mirror he knew hung on the far wall but once he found himself in front of it the light was aimed at the floor and he was staring at his brother's boots. Boots that were on _his_ feet. Slowly he lifted the flashlight until it was pointed to the side of his face, the beam quivering since his hand was shaking badly. He raised his eyes and stared at the reflection, shocked and horrified.

This couldn't be happening. Shit like this didn't happen. But it was obvious that it had, somehow. He was Merle but he was _him_. He was trapped in Merle's body. A body the man had nearly ruined with drugs and whores and... Daryl shifted uncomfortably and prayed quietly that Merle had gotten rid of any kind of crud he may have picked up before the world ended.

"I could have herpes," he whispered, swallowing hard. "Jesus..."

He turned away from the mirror, unable to look at himself, or Merle, any longer. He hurried out of his room, not pausing until he was at the foot of the stairs that would lead him up to his own room. What the hell was he going to find up there? Was he gone? Well, not him but his body?

"What are you doing, Merle?"

Daryl stiffened at the cold tone, even though the voice was familiar. Rick was standing there, his eyes flashing suspiciously.

"Nothin'. I need to talk to my brother," Daryl said, hearing his brother's voice. It sounded strained and the nuance was unfamiliar because Merle was never strained. He needed to play this cool.

"At four in the morning?" Rick asked.

What the hell was his problem? They didn't have a fucking curfew around here. Why was he... Daryl realized then that maybe Rick really was an asshole to Merle. Daryl wasn't around all that much and when he was he wasn't stuck up his brother's ass. "You have a problem with that?" he asked, annoyed and now sounding more like Merle would.

Rick gave him a withering look but Daryl wasn't about to stand there and have a fucking staring match with the man. He turned and took the steps two at a time, making sure to keep quiet since most of the prison was still asleep. He hesitated outside Carol's cell because there was a light on and he knew she was up and if he saw her he wasn't sure he'd be able to play a convincing Merle. He took a deep breath and stepped past her doorway silently.

"Morning."

He stopped, head jerking at the sound of her voice. She was leaning out of her doorway, her eyes squinted at him but a friendly smile on her face. "Hey," he said gruffly.

Her brows pulled down in a frown as she looked from him to the closed cell door. "Oh, Merle. Just leave him alone. Can't you just talk to him when he wakes up? He doesn't sleep well and you know it. Why are you even up this early?"

"I need to talk to him," Daryl said, keeping his voice hushed because he didn't want to wake up whoever may be in his bed by talking out here. If Merle was in there asleep in Daryl's body then he would hear his own voice and possibly freak out. Carol didn't need to see that.

She shook her head. "You're lucky he's a morning person. Tell him if he wants to sleep in a little I'll bring him something up for breakfast as soon as I can."

Daryl nodded.

"And if he shoots you in the ass, don't come crying to me because I'm not bandaging it for you."

Another nod caused her to frown.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," he whispered, taking a step back when she took a step towards him.

She didn't seem convinced so she reached out, her warm hand pressing against his forehead. "Well, you don't feel hot." She raised her brows like she was waiting for him to say something but nothing came to mind. Finally she shook her head and stepped away. "Good luck."

She turned and he expected her to throw a smile over her shoulder because that was what she always did but then he remembered that she wasn't seeing him. She was seeing Merle. He slipped into his own cell, fumbled with the matches on his table and was finally able to light the lantern.

He thought that looking into the mirror and seeing his brother's face had been shocking but this was just as bad. He looked down at himself, hair obscuring half his face. He couldn't just stand there looking at himself all morning. He kicked the side of the cot but whoever was in his body only grunted and rolled over.

"Wake up!"

"Go the fuck on somewhere."

"Merle!" Daryl hissed, kicking the side of the cot again and then shoving the man's shoulder. God he hoped Merle was in there.

Daryl watched as he opened his eyes and sat up, instantly smacking his head on the underside of the bunk.

"What the..."

Daryl watched as he rubbed his sore head and then looked at his hands. Two hands. He turned them this way and that, like he had forgotten that someone else had woken him. And now Daryl could at least breath a little easier, knowing that Merle was there. Even if he was in _his_ body.

Merle looked up, blinked a few times and then chuckled. Daryl didn't see anything worth fucking laughing about at the moment. Not until Merle spoke. "This is a flashback, right?"

Daryl scowled and it felt natural to Merle's features. Small blessings. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Merle stood up, bouncing on the balls of his new feet and then looked down. "Acid flashback. You know, weird shit happens and then poof, things are back to normal. This ain't my first rodeo but this is the most vivid one I've ever had."

Daryl shook his head, went to push his hair out of his face and smacked his own forehead again. He winced and Merle laughed.

"That things a pain in the ass, huh?" He winked and grinned, a wide toothy grin that Daryl had never seen on his own face before.

"This isn't a fucking flashback, Merle. It ain't a dream and you ain't high. This shit is real."

Merle laughed and the sound was all off. Daryl rarely laughed. Not like that and to hear it was just odd. Actually, his own voice sounded different. He didn't sound anything like he did to his own ears. This was what he sounded like to everyone else.

Merle rolled his shoulders and shoved a lock of hair out of his face. "Not a dream huh?" He didn't sound convinced at all.

"No! Now help me figure out how the fuck to get my body back."

Merle looked down and finally he frowned. He cracked his neck and then stretched, ran his fingers through his hair, wincing when he snagged some tangles. "You know what, you're damn fit, little brother. Why the hell would I wanna trade back? This body's ten years younger than mine. Besides, people can't body swap, so this is a dream or a flashback."

Daryl growled and closed the distance. He met Merle's eye (his eyes) and then slapped Merle across the face, hard.

Instead of retaliating Merle's hand went to his cheek and he stared at Daryl, his eyes wide with shock. "That hurt," he whispered.

"No shit, dumb ass. I told you! This is real."

Merle looked around, almost frantic. "I can't be you! You're a... You're a... You suck! All head ducking and blushing bullshit! That ain't me! I can't do that shit!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Daryl hissed, flushing because Merle was a cock sucker.

"What the hell can we do?" Merle asked, actually looking very much like the younger brother now.

"I don't know."

Merle looked at his hands again, turning them over and over. "Well, I meant what I said anyhow. Feels pretty good bein' you." He smirked and then, to Daryl's absolute horror, Merle pulled the waistband of his pants away and stared down, bouncing on the balls of his feet again.

"Stop it! What the fuck, Merle!"

Merle looked up, brows raised in an expression Daryl knew he never made himself. "Well, I'll be damned." He looked back down. "I always assumed your dick was deformed or too little to see. You got a monster in your pants, baby brother. How the fuck you gonna pack this thing around and not stick it in every pair of spread legs you find? That's some kind of tragic shit right there."

"Stop lookin' at it! Don't look at it, don't fuckin' touch it and don't stick it anywhere. For fucks sake! I'll kill you, I swear to Christ."

"What about Carol? Bet a fine woman like that would appreciate a-"

Before Merle could even finish what he considered a joke Daryl swung, punching him hard in the side of the face but then realized that he didn't have a hand there, it was just leather covered steal. Merle crumpled to the floor with a groan and then the worst thing in the world happened.

"What the hell are you doing!"

Daryl looked up in time to see Carol storm into the room. She glared at him and then looked down at Merle, who was working on pulling himself up off the floor. Merle met his eyes and winked before he groaned. Instantly Carol was kneeling next to him, her hand pushing his hair back as she examined his face.

"Get out," she said, her voice low and colder than he had ever heard it before.

"You don't get it. He's-"

She stood up faster than he thought possible, rounding on him, crowding him and causing him to take a step back in shock. No one treated his brother this way unless they were ready to get hurt but the anger that radiated off her was intense, like a living thing that chilled the room. "I like you, Merle. I really do, but if you ever touch him again I swear I'll-"

"She'll slit your throat," Merle said from his prone position.

Daryl held her gaze and wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. Instead he shot a deathly look at his brother, who was grinning behind her back despite the blood marring his jaw bone.

"Get out," she said again.

He realized something then. It was in the way her eyes changed when she looked back down at Merle. But, of course, Merle wasn't who she was seeing. She was seeing _him_ and he didn't have a clue how the fuck he had never seen it before. That look, just the slight changing of her eyes, softening of her mouth, that look told him more than he'd ever dared to contemplate before.

He had hoped; sometimes he was almost sure, but never positive. Not until right now, anyway. The woman's whole heart was in that look and it scared the hell out of him. Not because he didn't want it, because he did, but at the moment she was looking at a man that was capable of taking the heart she offered, and crushing it in his fist.


	4. Chapter 4

**I thought I posted this already! Sorry about that.**

 **Chapter Four**

Sometimes Carol wanted to strangle that man. She didn't make it a point to get between the brothers when they got into fights but Merle was out of line. He had stormed up to Daryl's cell and intentionally started a fight. Who does that! Who wakes someone up to fight?

Merle Dixon, apparently.

And it must have been bad because Daryl didn't fret or flinch when she cleaned him up. Usually he pitched a fit when she wanted to take care of him. He hadn't even argued when she told him that it wouldn't hurt anything if he got a few more hours sleep. Normally he would have waved her off and found something to do, one of the many projects that he was helping oversee, but he'd listened to her and crawled back in bed. She had told him that she would bring him something up but she got side tracked by Merle of all people. He had steadfastly refused to tell her why he had hit Daryl but made it a point to assure her that it had been Daryl's fault and that she should stay away from him for a while.

Like that was going to happen.

The man was infuriating, and was acting just as off as Daryl. There was definitely something going on and she intended to find out what it was. Everyone was entitled to have an off day but this was ridiculous. She was distracted as she climbed the stairs, carrying a bowl and a bottle of water since Daryl had never made it down for breakfast. She was worried because he never stayed in bed this late.

She was almost to his cell when she finally looked up... and nearly dropped the bowl. Instead of the bowl her mouth dropped. He wasn't wearing a shirt, which wouldn't have been so scandalous had it not been Daryl, but it _was_ Daryl and he didn't let anyone see him without a shirt on. She knew why, had known since seeing him after he'd been shot on the farm. But at the moment he didn't seem to care. He was gripping the bar above his cell door, doing, of all things, chin ups.

She stared in wide eyed wonder, like a child that has come downstairs at midnight on Christmas Eve and discovered that Santa was real. Muscles strained, breath coming out in soft pants as he lifted his own weight over and over. Her eyes followed a bead of sweat as it traveled down his chest, over the taught muscles that made up the flat planes of his stomach and then disappeared into the waistband of his pants. Pants that seemed to be on the verge of slipping another centimeter or two, which was all it would take to give someone a full on frontal view of every secret he hid behind those cargoes.

Without warning he let go of the bar, dropping to the floor. She jerked in surprise, almost dropping the bowl again but righting it at the last minute. He backed up a few steps, flashed her a toothy grin that was so unlike him he actually looked like a different man at the moment, and then gestured for her to come in.

Wordlessly she slipped past him and sat the bowl and water down before turning. He was staring at her, not trying to hide the fact that he was staring at her, and she shifted on her feet uncomfortably. She had the odd sensation that she was looking at someone else.

"You ever get sick and tired of all this bashful bullshit?" he asked suddenly.

She frowned. "What?"

He gestured around the room absently. "Don't play dumb, woman. This stupid dance we do. I pretend I don't know what's goin' on in that head of yours and you pretend you don't know what goes on in this head of mine, so we dance around the issue." He picked up the bowl and leaned against the wall directly in front of her.

She was so caught off guard that she couldn't find any firm ground. She shook her head but didn't know what to say.

She watched him watch her as he chewed, the corner of his mouth turning up. Without warning he tossed the bowl onto the small table and took two steps towards her. She backed away, something akin to panic but also a strong sense of anticipation fighting for control in her mind. Her back hit the bars but he was still coming, not stopping until his body was less than a breath away from hers. His fists gripped the bars on each side of her waist, caging her in.

Her heart was drumming hard and every labored breath she took was saturated with his scent, his presence, the heat radiating off of his body. She wouldn't try to lie to herself and say that she didn't want this, because she did. She hadn't realized how much until every throb of her pulse sent an ache low in her body, causing her to shift, squeezing her thighs together to try to relieve the pressure and the heat that his proximity evoked.

She could have kissed him, touched him in ways she had only dreamed of touching him, and would have. God, she would have. But when his eyes locked onto hers there was a look there that was unfamiliar. A look that dimmed the hunger that had engulfed her.

He looked triumphant. He looked smug. He looked... like his brother.

She wanted to move. She wanted to get her bearings because she was fighting hard with herself. She wanted him. The physical need like a suffocating thing, bearing down on her. She wanted to know the feel of his skin under her finger tips, the soft sigh of his breath in her ear. But it wasn't suppose to be like this. He wasn't suppose to look at her like she was some sort of conquest. And that was what this felt like. There was no feeling in his presence.

When he dipped his head she felt his nose skim her jaw, her throat. He inhaled deeply and then a low chuckle rumbled through his chest. "You want it, Carol. You want it so bad I can smell it," he whispered.

She closed her eyes because it wasn't a lie. But it wasn't exactly the truth either. If she was ever going to be with him, she didn't want it to be like this. She'd imagined it a million times and none of those half formed fantasies involved him doing anything like this. She imagined something a lot more meaningful. Revelations, maybe not exactly gentle and romantic but at least something with feeling. This was lust. That's all this was and he wasn't the only one that could smell it in the very air.

"What the fuck are you two doin!" Merle's voice sounded from behind them.

This would have been the moment that Daryl would have shied away so quickly that he'd end up tripping over his own feet. Instead he cursed low in her ear, pressed himself against her before nipping her throat with his teeth. He stepped back, his blue eyes narrowed on hers. They were dark, penetrating and so unfamiliar that she had to look away.

Without another word she turned and slipped out of the cell. She wasn't going to explain anything to Merle because whatever the hell was going on was none of his business. Besides, she had no idea what was going on herself. Her steps faltered, however, when she met the man's eyes.

She blinked because for a second, it felt as though she were looking at Daryl and it only added to the confusion in her mind. He looked stunned, hurt, and enraged. His gaze slid from her back to Daryl and when she glanced back herself he was still shirtless, arms crossed and leaning into the doorway with a mocking smile on his face.

"I heard Rick mention he needed to talk to you," Merle said without looking at her. "He wouldn't tell me what he needed."

She studied Merle's face, mostly his eyes, and suddenly felt completely disoriented. Without looking at Daryl again she brushed past Merle without a word and headed down the stairs. Her body was still flushed from the close encounter in Daryl's cell but her mind was screaming at her that what happened was wrong.

"What the hell is going on?" she whispered to herself as she hurried down the stairs.

She didn't have much time to dwell on it and for that, she was grateful. Rick needed her to do a little inventory and it was mind numbing work. It was just what she needed because if she had a moment to think about what the hell had just happened up there then she was going to drive herself crazy.

Last night he had been perfectly normal. He had been weary and still upset about the close call she had but he had been him. Today he had been someone else entirely. His movements, the way he spoke and certainly his actions.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Merle watched her walk away and knew he'd came on a little too strong. She was used to his brother and his brother didn't make moves like that. He wouldn't fuck up like that again. Watching his brother stare him down was odd, since he was looking at him from his own visage.

"How you doin' handsome?" Merle asked with an easy grin.

Daryl stormed into the cell. "What the fuck are you doin', Merle?" he hissed.

Merle shrugged. "Havin' some fun. Might send this body of yours into shock since it ain't accustomed to it but I figure it's worth the risk."

"Leave her alone, alright. Do whatever the fuck you wanna do but she ain't got a damn thing to do with the reasons you're pissed off at me."

Merle dropped the guise, the smile falling away. "You don't get it, do you?" he asked.

"Get what?" The face was Merle's but the look was all Daryl, suspicion and uncertainty. "Get that you're tryin' to get back at me by hurtin' her?"

"Trust me, brother, it ain't gonna hurt one bit. You give me one good goddamn reason not to do it. One. Cause the way I see it, don't any of you mother fuckers give two shits about me. You made it clear, remember? So, I got free reign. You ain't got the balls to take her. I will."

The look in his brother's eyes changed and this one worried Merle because it was familiar. He'd seen the look in the mirror when he was the one manning that vessel. Daryl looked like he had a plan brewing. "You sure about that?"

Merle nodded. "Yep. She's ripe, little brother. That pussy ain't ever had it like I could give it. It's for the best cause you know you would likely mess it up. Leave breaking her in to a pro like me." Those words delivered in Daryl's voice sounded strange.

Daryl shrugged. "Okay. If this is how you want it to be." He didn't make a move. He simply stood there, filling the doorway. Merle crossed his arms over his chest, his stance wide as he waited for Daryl to do something.

But his brother didn't do what Merle expected, which was lunge, throw a punch or shove him against the wall. No, nothing as civilized as that. Lightning quick he kicked. He kicked hard and precise and he kicked with every ounce of power he had in him. Daryl was smart. He didn't just kick Merle between the legs. He actually lashed out, kicking straight, the heel of his boot catching Merle, not only in the balls, but in every spot that mattered. Daryl brutalized his own junk just to keep it from Carol Peletier. If he wasn't about to throw up, he'd have swooned at the gesture.

Instead of swooning he dropped to his knees, both hands cupping himself gingerly, gasping for breath and gagging with every exhale. The pain was sharp but also deep and throbbing, twisting his guts and making it impossible to do anything but try to breathe and not pass out from the pain.

"That shit hurts, don't it?" Daryl asked.

"You just broke your own dick you stupid cock sucker," Merle groaned.

Daryl turned around and strolled out of the cell. "By the time I get it back, it'll be good as new."

Merle growled, groaned and then raised his head again. "Not if I chop it off!" he ground out. The last thing he heard was his own bitter laugh thrown back over Daryl's shoulder.

~H~

Daryl was done. He wasn't playing nice anymore. If Merle didn't stop then he'd gag him, hog tie him and then hide him somewhere in the prison until he could figure out how the hell to fix this mess. He needed time to think but there was a lot of things that needed done and he had to go ahead and do it in Merle's body, since his own was currently indisposed.

He was able to spend a few hours working on his own, not having to worry about someone spotting him and giving him any shit thinking he was Merle. It would be hard to explain why he was working up a sweat when Merle never really did anything helpful around here.

"Where's Daryl? I need to talk to him."

He looked up, avoiding meeting Carol's eyes because she was just going to get pissed all over again. It wasn't her fault because she didn't know that he wasn't... him. Still, he wanted to blame her. When he had seen the two of them up there he thought he was going to be sick. Shouldn't she be able to tell that the man up there in that cell wasn't him? She knew him. She was the only fucking person that had ever known him.

"Merle?" She called as he stalked past her.

He stopped, turning around to face her. "He's probably up there still laid out on the floor. I kicked him in the balls."

She threw her hands in the air. "What in the hell is wrong with you two, today? Why on earth would you do that? This isn't you, Merle. I know you."

He narrowed his eyes. So she thought she had them both figured out, huh? "Maybe I did it for his own good."

"What could you possibly mean by that?" She snapped.

"He ain't himself right now and that's all I'm gonna say about it. You should just stay away from him. I'll figure out... something. I don't know. Just leave him alone."

She glared at him and he was damn sick of that look. She wasn't the only one that had spent all morning aiming that kind of hate at him and it made him sick because it actually made him feel bad for his brother. And the last thing he wanted to do was feel bad for that asshole. He wasn't going to stick around to explain anything else to her. Hell there wasn't anything to say that wouldn't make him sound insane. Merle liked being Daryl for the moment so it wasn't like he could depend on the man to back his story. It was too crazy even for Rick's unstable ass to grasp.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked as he stormed away.

He stopped but didn't turn around. "I don't know."

"Then what's wrong with you? He isn't the only one that isn't being himself this morning."

He shook his head and walked away without answering. He found most of the others out in the yard. The sun was still hidden behind the thick bruise of clouds but it wasn't storming yet. He could smell the electric charge of what was coming though, even with Merle's dulled senses. It was odd that he would notice that but he did. His sense of smell and taste were off. Merle spent quite a few years snorting one toxic mix of chemicals or another up his nose and it had done some damage to his sense of smell.

"Where's Daryl?" Glenn barked as he approached.

Daryl frowned, not used to seeing this easy going kid look at someone with such loathing. He had to remind himself that Glenn was seeing Merle and Merle had played a part in the violation of Maggie, and almost in Glenn's death. Neither of them owed Merle any kindness. "He's still inside. Fell and hurt himself," he lied.

Glenn glanced towards the prison and then turned to walk away without another word. Daryl thought maybe this would be the time to try to start smoothing things over with people. No one expected Merle to be a Saint or anything but if he at least let them know that he was here to try then maybe they wouldn't be so cold to him. All that was doing was making him worse.

"Hey, Glenn," Daryl called, jogging to catch up with the kid. He grimaced at the pain in his right knee.

Glenn turned around stiffly.

Daryl halted, unsure how to proceed. He wasn't exactly great at apologies and he wanted to handle it in a way that was convincing. "Look, I know that we ain't ever gonna see eye to eye on some things..."

"You think?" Glenn nearly growled.

Daryl went to push his hair out of his face and caught himself before he could hit himself again. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened. What I did was wrong but we're both here and neither one of us are goin' anywhere so I'm just puttin' that out there. I'm sorry for what happened to Maggie and I'm sorry for what he did to you."

Glenn glared. "He who? He didn't do anything to me, you did."

He cursed under his breath. "That's what I meant. I shouldn't have done it."

Glenn shook his head, looking disgusted and stormed away. Daryl had at least tried but it didn't seem like Glenn was ready to let anything go. He didn't blame him. What Merle had done to them was worse than what he had done to anyone else. Maybe he should start smaller. Maybe he would try to apologize to Rick instead.

The man wasn't hard to find. He was working with Hershel, talking over the crops that were actually turning out okay. When Daryl came into view Rick and Hershel both looked up. Hershel smiled, even though it was strained but Rick just watched him, expressionless.

"Where's your brother?" Rick asked once Daryl was in ear shot.

"He ain't feelin' too good today."

Rick pulled a face and shook his head. "He can join the crowd then. None of us feel good now days. What do you want, Merle?"

Daryl bristled at the man's tone but breathed through it. Everyone here had a reason not to trust Merle. He had to keep reminding himself that. All he could do now was damage control. Try to make them see that the man wasn't all bad. "Figured since Daryl isn't around I'd go on ahead and grab a few of the men to start on the other cell block. Isn't that what you wanted him to do today?"

Rick shook his head. "No. I need Daryl in charge of that. He knows what he's doing in there."

"I know how to kill walkers, Rick."

Rick smirked. "Yeah, you know how to kill lots of things, Merle. It isn't about killing. It's about knowing how to be in charge of a situation without letting it go to your head. You can't do that kind of job. If you want to help then go help Michonne and Sasha get rid of some of the walkers at the fences."

Daryl stared at the man, willing his temper down. This was his first try at getting the others to accept that Merle wasn't so bad. He couldn't expect them to think he had turned over a new leaf just yet. He turned, heading towards the fence that Rick indicated. He could feel the man's eyes boring into his back.

Daryl hadn't felt like this in a long time. Everyone here that looked at him always regarded him with respect. Sure, it hadn't always been that way but it had been for a while and he had gotten used to it. Was actually proud of it.

Being Merle was harder than he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about the delay. I had company from out of state this week and haven't been on my computer much at all. Just a few more chapters and this will be wrapped up. I'm also going to apologize that it didn't turn out to be as comedic as I thought it would. Lol And how confusing it must be for you guys at times!**

 **Warning: In the past, when I've had a character say something, I've had to deal with an anon reviewer implying that the character's view must be my own. Merle says a few horrible things in this chapter and I wanted to make it very very clear that I am not Merle. Merle is not me. He see's things in a different light than I do and his opinions are his own. Not a reflection of mine. I just wanted to clear that up, even though I'm sure that all of you know this already.**

 **OH! And in this story, Merle did go to meet Blake like he did in the episode he died in :'( But in this, he managed to kill Blake instead. Now, I think that's all I needed to tell you guys. lol**

 **Chapter Six**

Merle made his way through the common room and was surprised at how many people offered him smiles and waves. It seemed like every other step he took someone was trying to get his attention, offering thanks for one thing or another. He kept his mouth shut and his head down but it wasn't easy. This was beyond his comfort zone.

"Hey, Daryl?"

He looked over as Maggie approached him. He waited impatiently for her to sneer at him and then remembered that she was looking at his big hero brother. Mr. Fucking Popular. "I'm in a hurry," he growled when it didn't look like she was going hurry her ass up.

She looked up with a frown and handed him a list. "These are a few things we need for your next run."

He scowled, scanning the paper. It was mostly basic shit with a few things for the rugrat thrown in for good measure. Easy enough but he wasn't planning on going on anymore runs. If they wanted someone to play fetch with then they could go to his brother, meaning, they would think they were coming to Merle. He shoved the paper back into her hand. "Go give it to Merle. I'm done making runs."

Maggie stared at him like the worthless gash she was. This was one of them that he couldn't stand. He had made it a point to tell the assholes that he hadn't expected Blake to do anything to her other than grill her for information but her and her idiot boyfriend still blamed him. She looked at the paper and then met his eyes. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "Just a little bit tired of bein' this group's go to guy. You want somethin' then you go tell Merle. I'm sure he'll jump at the chance to be your go getter."

"Merle isn't gonna do a damn thing for anybody if there's not somethin' in it for himself," she said, her voice bitter and her eyes flashing.

He took a step towards her, towering over her. "Is that right? He didn't come through for any of you mother fuckers when he went out there after Blake on his own? When Rick set his ass up to fail? When Rick put Michonne's head on the choppin' block? He walked out those gates not knowin' if he'd ever see his brother again, because he wanted it over and he wanted his fuckin' brother to not have that psycho bastard waitin' to strike. And trust me you walkin' piece of ass, Merle sure as hell didn't have a goddamn thing to gain from it."

Her mouth dropped open and he turned on his heel before something else occurred to him. He spun back around. "And by the way, stop actin' like your some kind of tainted flower cause Blake got a look at your fuckin' tits. Since I've been here, your shirts get lower and lower by the week. Next goddamn thing you know you'll be walkin' around in some goddamn stripper pasties actin' like somebody owes you somethin' for stealin' a glance."

He realized that the room was now silent and he had raised his voice so the whole fucking crowd had heard him.

Good.

He started for the doors but came up short when he saw Carol standing there, her eyes wide with shock. The first stirrings of guilt almost had him shifting on his feet like Daryl would do. The truth was, she _was_ different and her opinion of him actually counted for something. He envied Daryl when it came to what the man shared with this woman. She wasn't like the rest, had given Merle a chance and he realized that in his haste to get back at Daryl, he really was going to hurt her.

"What has gotten into you?" she asked, not needing to raise her voice because the room was still silent as a tomb.

He turned in a circle, glaring at every head turned in his direction. How the fuck did Daryl put up with this shit? Didn't he see that these people, they didn't give a damn about him? They only cared about what he could do for them. That he was there to help take care of the whole damn lot of them. Daryl needed that acceptance in his life and it was bullshit. Bullshit because out of all the people here, maybe five gave a shit about him at all.

"I need to get the fuck out of here," he said, his heart pounding hard.

Carol still had that stunned look on her face but she nodded quickly and headed towards the door leading to the yard.

~H~

Daryl was making his way towards Rick when he saw Carol leading his brother towards the tower. He wanted to follow them but before he could he heard someone say his name and he glanced at the corner of the building. When he looked back towards the couple they walked around the tower and out of site. There was something about the way they moved that told him that he didn't need to worry about Carol falling for any of Merle's shit at the moment. His brother didn't look like he had it in him to try anything else and Carol looked goddamn furious. Merle was capable of saying or doing anything at this point. He hated to think of the damage control that he would have to do once he got his body back.

 _If_ he got his body back.

Instead of following Carol and his brother he walking into the prison, trying to figure out how to convince Rick into letting him do a few of the jobs that he knew his brother wouldn't do. It was starting to grate on his nerves. They thought they were seeing Merle, so he knew how they expected him to act, but since _Merle_ was actually trying to make himself useful, why the hell weren't they letting him?

He stopped in the doorway, frowning as everyone stood in groups, talking in low voices. He knew he heard them mutter his name a few times and he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Merle had done something, alright. He walked past them, catching dirty looks from several people that he had always thought were okay. Ignoring them, keeping his mouth firmly shut he hurried off to Merle's room so he could think. The whole day had been rough and he just needed a minute to himself.

He shut the door behind him and leaned against it and then just about pissed his pants. There in the bed was a naked lady that he hadn't talked too much but had seen her around.

"Bout time, Dixon. You were suppose to meet me hear an hour ago," she said, leaning back on her elbows.

Daryl looked away quickly and reached behind him to find the doorknob. It wasn't that the woman wasn't at least kind of attractive but she sure as fuck wasn't Daryl's type. He didn't have a type, really, or he never had before. He supposed Carol was his type and this woman was no fucking Carol.

"You shy all of a sudden?" the woman asked.

Daryl glanced back up, still frantically trying to pull the door open while his back was still pressed against it, and was horrified to see that the woman was now on her feet and walking towards him. One of the things he remembered of the woman was that she had a husband around here somewhere. Merle was a sneaky shithead, screwing some other man's wife but it wasn't exactly surprising.

He turned, finally managing to get the door open but then he felt the crazy lady grab the back of his shirt and pulled him back inside. Now he was pissed. He had tried to walk away, for fucks sake, and the crazy bitch wasn't having it.

Fine.

He turned, gripped her by the shoulders and gave her a push towards the bed. She grinned, like this was a game Merle had played with her before. But he wasn't Merle and he was far beyond the point of games right now. He snagged the blanket from the foot of the bed and tossed it over her. She frowned and then looked up as he backed away.

"What the hell is your problem?" she asked.

Daryl backed up but was relieved to see that she wasn't throwing the blanket off and she didn't look like she was going to pursue him at the moment. He glared at her. "You ever been tested for the clap?"

The frown turned into a glare. "You're an asshole."

"I am," he agreed. "This dick has been in more holes than you could imagine. Like a big fat fucking earthworm. I've caught more STD's than I care to count, snorted cocain off a prostitutes asshole, took on a set of twins that gave me crabs twice just cause I liked their tricks! And you just come right up here and spread your legs when you got a decent man out there workin' on the fences right now! It's the end of the world woman, so how about showin' a little more appreciation for what little bit you have instead of lurkin' in here trying to fuck me."

He turned then, storming out of the room, feeling like he needed a fucking shower just from the skank grabbing his shirt like that. Merle was a grade A man whore, there was no denying that, but damn it, he couldn't just go around fucking the wives of the other men. It was almost a blessing that Lori wasn't around. God knows Merle wouldn't have had to tried too hard to get into that one.

"Dixon!"

He turned and saw Glenn storming towards him and groaned. What the fuck happened now?

"You seen your brother?" Glenn asked, seething.

Daryl shook his head. "Last I seen him he was in the yard with Carol. Why?" It wasn't like Glenn to seek Merle out for anything so him standing here now was proof enough that Merle had seriously fucked up somehow.

"Because he basically attacked my wife," Glenn growled.

Daryl gaped. Surely not. Surely he wouldn't do something that bad while he was walking around as Daryl. "He hit Maggie?" Jesus Christ, this was bad.

Glenn scoffed. "Don't act like you give a damn either way. He didn't hit her but he may as well have. The son of a bitch blamed her for what... for what happened back in Woodbury. She's with Hershel now. I'm not the only one with a bone to pick with him. You pulling this crap is one thing but it's inexcusable for him."

Daryl watched him storm away, his stomach sinking. He wasn't going to be able to fix everything that Merle was going to break.

~H~

Carol watched as Daryl leaned against the tower, arms crossed, face lined with stress; she searched his eyes for... anything. Anything that could reassure her that this was some fluke, that he was him and everything was going to be fine, but she couldn't find any solace in that steely blue gaze.

"What's going on with you? You can talk to me and maybe I can help but I have to know what's wrong."

Daryl eyed her and then scoffed, shaking his head angrily. "I hate this place. Every fuckin' day I wake up and all I can think about is hitting the goddamn road."

She leaned against the wall next to him and stared out at the fence. "You've never told me that before."

"I don't tell you every damn thing."

"Apparently," she said dryly, trying to figure out what had happened. "Where's your bow?" She looked over at him but he only shrugged.

"Guns make more sense, don't you think?" he asked. "Faster, more accurate and less bulk. I don't need to pack that fuckin' thing around with me everywhere I go."

Carol ran a hand through her hair and nodded. She needed to find Merle and talk to him. She wasn't sure where to start looking because usually he just popped up throughout the day. It was strange to think that she could get answers out of Merle instead of Daryl but it sure seemed that way. "Just tell me why you said that to Maggie. You know that you were out of line in there. Whatever you're upset about, whatever is going on with you, she didn't deserve that."

He glared at her. "Then why don't you go fix her, huh? Ain't that what you like to do? Mend broken wings and guide the weak around here? Must make you feel mighty damn important."

"Seems to me that it's a better use of time than acting like a moronic jackass that doesn't give a damn about anyone else," she shot back. She couldn't even find it in herself to be angry at his words because she was too worried about him. But she wasn't going to stand out here and wait for his rebuttal. He wasn't himself right now and all she could hope was that she could possibly get some answers from his brother.

She searched the grounds but saw no sign of him but this wasn't surprising. He was probably holed up in his room, likely mad about something. Merle assumed that no one understood his plight here but she could see it. She knew that it bothered him more than he let on. She knew he hated how everyone looked at him, especially since him being here at all was a huge sacrifice on his part. He loathed the prison, and most of the people in it.

 _I hate this place. Every fuckin' day I wake up and all I can think about is hitting the goddamn road._

She paused with her hand on the stair railing as Daryl's words sounded in her mind. It was his voice but the words, the slight nuances in his delivery, weren't his. He had sounded like Merle.

Shaking her head she continued on up the stairs, wishing she didn't feel so confused, hoping that she could do something to help the man. She hadn't found Merle and she was probably going to have to wait for him to come out of hiding. She was about to step into her cell when she heard a sound coming from the one next to hers, which had belonged to Daryl since the Woodbury group had been brought here.

She stepped into Daryl's cell and came to a sudden halt. Merle was there, sitting on the lower bunk, Daryl's crossbow pulled over his lap, staring at the wall.

"Merle?"

He jumped in surprise, looking up sharply. "Must be off my game. I didn't even hear you," he said, his voice subdued.

She chewed her lip, studying him carefully. "Are you okay?"

His eyes left hers and went back to the spot on the wall that he was so focused on. "Not really."

She sat down next to him and pulled the bow away, setting it on the floor. "Talk to me. There's something going on with both of you and I need to know what it is so I can help. And don't give me any crap for wanting to help, either. Daryl already had his say and I can only imagine that yours will be even harsher."

He shook his head and stood up, walking towards the cell door but she grabbed his wrist, halting him. When he rounded on her he didn't look angry exactly. He looked almost panicked.

"Tell me," she said, her voice hushed. All she wanted to do was help them but she had no idea how.

"You know that creepy place where we stopped?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes. What about it?"

"What happened in there was weird, right? You felt it too."

She nodded. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything, I think," he muttered, turning back towards the door.

What the hell did he mean by that? Why was Merle in this cell, holding a crossbow that he'd never be able to shoot? Why had Daryl been so dismissive about everything today? Why had he said he hated it here when she knew for a fact that this was where he wanted to be? The strangest sense of wonder filled her chest as she watched him step towards the doorway. "Hey, Daryl?"

He stopped, glancing over his shoulder. "What? I'm in a hurry. I need to find my brother. I..." he paused, blinked, licked his lips almost nervously. "Why did you just call me that?"

She felt like the floor fell out from under her. It was crazy, right? "Why did it take you so long to realize that I called you by the wrong name?"

He stared at her, his eyes wide. He searched her eyes and she saw a spark of hope ease some of the tension in his face. "How the fuck can you know?" he asked in a voice so low that she barely heard him.

She smiled slightly, even though she felt like she had just stepped into the twilight zone. "Because I know you," she said simply.

Tension seemed to melt from his shoulders at her admission and before she could even begin to process what was happening he had closed the distance and wrapped one arm around her. She hugged him back. "Merle ain't got it too easy around here. Havin' one hand is goddamn dangerous, I got naked women tryin' to hump my fuckin' leg, everybody giving me the stink eye for no reason."

She pulled back, searching his face. "Naked women?" She tried to hold it back but this was one of those strange situations where you either lost your mind or laughed it off. So she laughed it off and when he grimaced, glaring at her from under his brows, out of eyes that belonged to his brother, she laughed even harder. "Tell me, who humped you? If you'd like I'll go give them a talking to."

Arms crossed over his chest, his good hand shoved under his armpit he scowled. "You gonna laugh? My life's fallin' apart, I'm stuck in this... meat suit, and you're gonna laugh?"

She shook her head, dabbing at her eyes. "Okay. Okay, you're right. We're gonna find your brother and we're gonna figure this out. I should have guessed right away when I thought you were all over me this morning. That was a very Merle thing to do."

He shook his head. "And you didn't even try to fight him off. What the hell's wrong with you?"

She shrugged. "Because this morning I thought it was you so I didn't want to." She raised her chin in defiance, even though she knew she hadn't thought those words though before she'd said them. She had surprised herself.

The look in his eyes changed then and he studied her carefully before scowling even harder. It suited Merle's features even better than his own. "You tell me that shit now when I'm stuck in this? Real goddamn nice." He stormed out then, leaving her standing there gaping at his back before she collected herself enough to hurry after him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay! I've lost a lot of writing due to computer issues, had company from out of town, and been rather busy the last few weeks. Oh, and I'm just flaky with updates unless a story is complete. Hope you're all well and kicking. Thanks a ton for reading! =)**

 **Chapter Seven**

It was the longest day of Daryl's life and considering the trials he had faced up until this point, that was seriously saying something. Walkers had managed to break through one of the back fences and since he wasn't exactly accustomed to Merle's body, he had damn near been killed. Merle had tried to get to him but he was too fucking far away. The person who saved his skin was Maggie Greene and that had stopped Merle right in his tracks.

Maggie had risked her ass to save who she thought was Merle Dixon. Daryl had seen the disbelief in the man's eyes when Maggie had gotten between Daryl and the walkers that were crowding in around him. Daryl had done what he could with the makeshift blade but his body didn't move the same way anymore. He was powerful, but not as quick.

Apparently being in a body that belonged to someone else was just like riding a motorcycle you weren't used to. Each one handled differently and the body he was stuck in was one he couldn't get used to.

Now that the prison was settling down a little he was able to hunt Carol down and try to come up with a plan to get his body back. He didn't give a damn how much Merle wanted to keep being him, it wasn't fucking happening. Besides, when it was all said and done, Merle looked pretty damn stressed. Daryl had a lot of responsibility around here and now it was all on Merle, since everyone thought he was Daryl.

This was so fucking confusing.

He climbed the steps, ready to talk to Carol, maybe even talk to Merle and then get some sleep. He needed to have Merle talk to Rick about the three of them leaving again. Maybe if they went back to that place and tried to recreate the situation then they would change back to who they were suppose to be.

It wasn't just the fact that he couldn't seem to get the hang of how to be Merle physically. He couldn't get used to the rest of the group looking at him with such disgust. He had to remind himself over and over that Merle had earned a lot of it but really, he was almost sure that if they would just stop, if they would try to understand him for who he was, he wouldn't be so damn determined to lash out at them. Daryl was sure that if there was just a little more give from the group, Merle would learn how to integrate himself. He would find the niche where he belonged.

He slipped into Carol's cell, needing that calm that she seemed to bring to his mind no matter how much turmoil was raging. Instead of finding Carol he found Merle sprawled out on her bunk. He grinned when Daryl stopped, glaring at him.

"How pissed off would you be if I told you I fucked your girlfriend?" Merle asked, wagging his eyebrows.

Daryl felt his eye start to twitch in annoyance. "I'd call you a liar cause she already knows what's happenin'. And she ain't my goddamn girlfriend," he added for good measure.

Merle sat up, running a hand over his head, musing his hair.

"I gotta get a goddamn hair cut," Daryl grumbled.

"She knows?" Merle asked, surprised.

Daryl nodded, trying to fight back a yawn. How he could be sleepy when his whole world was turned on it's head was beyond him.

"Well damn," Merle muttered, standing up and stretching.

Daryl just shook his head. "I already told you before that you wouldn't have had a damn chance with her. She ain't stupid."

Merle shrugged lightly. "Just as well. You have one hell of a sensitive Johnson, little brother. You wouldn't have lasted more than a few minutes anyways."

Daryl cringed visibly, scowling hard. "What the fuck are you talkin' about?"

The grin that stretched across his face then made Daryl's stomach turn. "Well, got bored and decided to rub one off-"

"Jesus Christ! Enough! I don't wanna hear this. You keep your filthy hands off my dick, Merle or I swear to God!"

Merle held up his hands. "These ain't my filthy hands. They're your filthy hands, so I can do what I want and it ain't fruity. From the feel of it, you ought to think about jerkin' off more. Nearly passed out right there in your cell. I ain't got that problem, myself."

Daryl growled, the sound menacing, but he couldn't formulate actual syllables at the moment so it would have to suffice. Besides, it wouldn't matter what he said anyway because Merle was an idiot and wouldn't listen.

"You boys playing nice?"

They both turned at the sound of Carol's voice and saw her leaning into the door frame with her arms crossed. Daryl wondered how much she had overheard and shot another loaded glare at his brother, but Merle wasn't paying any attention to him anymore. The smile on his face turned, for lack of a better word, charming. He'd never smiled at her like that in his life but she seemed to be eating it right up.

"You know, Daryl, that's a really good look," she said, meeting his eyes briefly.

His eyes narrowed to slits. "You tellin' me that Merle wears me better than I do? It's my goddamn face," he snapped, being completely serious but all he got for his outrage was a laugh from both of them.

Carol recovered, stepping further into the room. "We leave at dawn. We're going back to that place and we're fixing this tomorrow."

Merle nodded and to Daryl's surprise the expression on his face was one of relief.

"Good. Being the little brother ain't what it was cracked up to be at first," he said, confirming Daryl's suspicions. When Merle looked back up he looked a little sheepish. "You got a hard fuckin' job around here. Puttin' up with all the assholes is only part of it."

He seemed sincere and Daryl found himself nodding. "Yeah, you ain't had an easy way to go either. That shit needs to change."

"Okay, you two hug and then hit the sheets. We have an early start," Carol said, trying to hide a smile.

"You're in an awfully good mood," Merle said, stepping past her and purposefully brushing up against her.

She rolled her eyes and moved away from him. "I have a good feeling about tomorrow," she said, sitting down on her bunk.

Merle nodded. "I hope the hell so."

~H~

Merle left the cell, knowing that he had a lot left to do tonight before he was going to be able to retire. He had made a goddamn mess of things and even though it was part of his charm to simply walk away from that mess and let someone else clean it up, he wasn't going to do that this time.

He headed down the stairs, sighing inwardly as people gave him weary and confused looks. People hadn't ever looked at his brother like that before but now they thought he was some sort of psychotic asshole. And it was all Merle's doing.

So he was going to make amends and then maybe when he got his own body back, he could work on a few things himself. First things first, he had to find Maggie Greene and lucky him, he knew exactly where she would be. It was late and her and Glenn had watch tonight. He wasn't sure how the hell he was going to make her believe that he was genuinely sorry, especially since he really wasn't, but his opinion of the girl wasn't his brother's and it was Daryl that she would hold a grudge against.

Besides, regardless of how she felt about Merle, she had risked her own ass out there to save his. She sure as hell hadn't known that it was actually Daryl she was saving. When she had seen those walkers closing in, she had seen Merle in danger and she had acted fast and it had fucked Merle up a little bit. He still didn't like the girl but he had to grudgingly admit that he had a bit of respect for her that he had never had before.

He climbed up the tower steps, trying to think of a way for him to make this right but nothing would come to him. He would do what he usually did when it came to damn near everything. He would simply wing it. He was pretty damn good at winging it. Besides, Maggie thought he was Daryl right now and everyone loved the fuck out of Daryl. He was the sweet one.

"What the hell are you doing up here?"

Merle was a little surprised at Glenn's tone. Sure, he hated Merle's guts and didn't ever try to hide the fact, but every time he had seen the boy address Daryl it had always been with complete respect and camaraderie. Of course, that was before Merle had gone off on the girl today so maybe he should have expected Glenn's less than welcoming demeanor.

"I just came up here to talk to Maggie," Merle said, holding up both hands in surrender.

Glenn looked mad enough to spit. "I think you've talked with her enough." He shook his head in disgust. "You know, after everything we've been through I can't believe you'd treat her like that."

Merle chewed the inside of his lip, resisting the urge to tell Glenn to do the world a favor and take a swan dive off the tower. That wasn't going to resolve anything for Daryl. "That's why I'm up here."

Glenn looked skeptical but before he could say another word Maggie came out, her eyes red but flashing angrily. "What do you want, Daryl?" she asked hotly, crossing her arms.

Merle reminded himself that he was doing this for his brother and as far as these two knew, _he_ was Daryl. He ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his boots, trying to hide a wicked grin. Just because he had to make this right for his brother didn't mean that he couldn't have a little fun with it. He schooled his features into that pained look that Daryl excelled at before looking back up. "I wasn't myself today."

Glenn and Maggie both kept glaring.

Merle sighed tragically and looked past them, towards the tree line in the distance. "I talked to Carol last night, see, and the conversation didn't go as planned. She turned me down, just like that." He snapped his fingers, shaking his head morosely and risking a look at the couple in front of him. Maggie's brows were pulled down in a frown and Glenn's features had smoothed out a little.

"After that I found a bottle and a started drinkin', tryin' to drown my sorrows a bit, ya know?" He reminded himself that Daryl wouldn't ever in a million years talk about something like this so he needed to thin it out a bit but he was having fun now. "Just kept thinkin' about you two, how good y'all are together and how much I thought I might've found the same. Guess after I got a little lit I started gettin' more and more jealous. But that ain't no excuse for sayin' what I said to you and I'm sorry. Just cause I'm hurtin' don't mean it's okay to hurt you." He met Maggie's eyes and had to force himself from laughing.

She wiped a tear away and met Glenn's eyes for a few long moments. She was hooked and Merle knew it.

Merle leaned his forearms on the railing and looked down at the yard below. "If you don't forgive me, I won't blame you. I just needed to tell you that I'm sorry. I wasn't going to, I was too damn ashamed of myself, but Merle told me it would be the right thing to do."

"Merle?" Glenn's voice was incredulous now. "Merle Dixon?"

Merle nodded and then he felt a hand on his back, tentative but there. He looked over and met Maggie's eyes.

"Carol loves you. Everyone knows it and she'll come around. I know she will," Maggie said, no more animosity in her voice.

Merle turned shook his head. "I guess time will tell, huh? She told me not to hold my breath."

Maggie's mouth dropped at that. "She didn't!"

Merle nodded. "Said there's somebody else."

Maggie's face scrunched up at that. "There is not anyone else! What is wrong with her? Let me talk to her for you."

Merle had to hide a laugh behind a cough. He glanced at Glenn but the boy still looked perplexed.

"Merle told you to come apologize?" Glenn asked, his mind momentarily stuck on this little tidbit of information.

"Oh yeah," Merle nodded sagely.

"Look," Maggie said softly, her hand on his arm. "What you said hurt, and it's gonna hurt for a long time, but I don't hate you for saying it. And I'm sorry about Carol. I always thought... Well, we all thought..." she shook her head. "She'll come around. I'll talk to her. Glenn will talk to her."

Merle nodded. "I appreciate it." He turned and headed down the stairs. He had one more thing to get out of the way before he could put all his focus on getting the hell out of Daryl's body. After this, the people around here wouldn't look at Daryl the same again. They'd have a new respect for him for sure.

He chuckled darkly.

 **I feel like maybe Maggie would have forgiven him if he laid it all on really thick. I didn't want to have to dwell on the issue for too long so I hope that this was at least semi believable. Not a ton of this story left. Maybe 3 chapters. Again, thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Carol sat down on the chair in the corner, her forearms resting on her thighs. She still couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening but she had no choice. It wasn't some sort of elaborate prank that the Dixons conjured up just to mess with everyone. It was impossible but real all the same. Just like the walkers.

"Are you okay?" she asked after the silence stretched on for a while. She was looking at Merle physically but the shifty glance she received was all Daryl. He was sitting on her bunk, his legs stretched out in front of him and his back leaning against the wall.

He shook his head. "Hell no. It ain't easy wonderin' what the hell my sick brother is doin' with my body."

Carol tried hard to swallow it down but laughter bubbled up from her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand but he had heard her. "I'm sorry, but you could have worded that a lot better." She had overheard them talking and knew that Merle was tormenting him. "Maybe it'll be over soon. And besides, I really doubt he did much touching after the damage you did to him earlier. Unless it's made of steal, he'll need a few days to heal. By then, we'll have figured out a way to get you back."

He sighed and shook his head before letting it fall against the bricks, his eyes far away. "Yeah, and what if we can't? What if this me now?"

She chewed her lip and then moved, sitting down next to him. "Then we'll have to make it work I guess."

He turned his head, catching her eye. "I can't keep bein' Merle."

"You aren't Merle. You're still you, you just don't look the same." She said the words but in her mind she wondered how strange it would be if this was permanent. Their friendship had been shifting for a while now, heading in a direction she never would have imagined it could. She loved him, had loved him for a long time, but somehow that platonic love, though strong, had grown tremendously and now she didn't just love him. She was _in_ love with him, and that changed everything. What would it be like to be with him if he was stuck like this?

"To you, I ain't Merle and to me I ain't Merle but to everybody else, I'm Merle."

"You're you," she said firmly.

He sighed, shaking his head and moving slightly so his shoulder was pressed against hers. "I wish I knew why the hell this was happenin'. Maybe if I did then we'd know how to make it stop. He ain't finished. You know what he did to Maggie today and that ain't the only damage he's gonna do. And he'll do it out of spite."

She studied his eyes for a few long moments and then shifted, her lips pressing firmly against his rough jaw. When she pulled away he turned his head, staring at her hard. She wanted to kiss him but it wouldn't be right. Not yet. She was telling the truth when she told him that they would make it work, even if he never got his body back, but she had never contemplated kissing Merle's mouth and technically, this was Merle's mouth. She almost grimaced thinking of all the disgusting places Merle's mouth could have been over the years.

Instead she found his good hand, turning it palm up and linked her fingers through his. It wouldn't be easy but she meant it. They would just have to make it work.

Neither one of them heard anyone come into her cell. Not until a muted curse reached their ears. Carol looked up sharply and was greeted by two sets of stunned eyes, both focused on the hand she was holding at the moment.

Maggie opened her mouth, working it like she wanted to say something but it was Glenn that finally spoke and Carol was shocked at his outrage.

"You can't be serious," he openly gaped at them.

Maggie shook her head slowly. "Carol, how could you do this to him? His brother?"

Carol was confused for all of ten seconds before she realized what they must be thinking. She completely understood why the two of them would have a problem with her being with Merle because they couldn't stand him, but to instantly accuse her of doing "this" to anyone in particular was what had her frowning up at them. Daryl pulled his hand away and instantly started chewing his nail. "I wasn't aware that I was doing anything to anyone. Would one of you care to elaborate for me?"

Maggie blew a strand of hair out of her face. "He told us," she said, her voice accusing. "He came and told us why he's been such a mess. That he told you how he felt and you told him there was someone else. So this is the someone else? His own brother?"

Daryl's mouth dropped open.

Glenn ran a hand over his face. "He loves you! Everyone knows he loves you. You can't tell me you didn't see it because since the farm... you've felt the same way! We were all just waiting for you both to get your heads out of your asses and finally see it yourselves."

Daryl stood up so quickly that Glenn took a step back. "Where the fuck is he?" he ground out, his voice (Merle's voice) an angry rasp.

Maggie glared defiantly. "I don't know."

Without another word Daryl stormed out of the cell, leaving Carol to deal with Glenn and Maggie.

"Look, this is all just a big misunderstanding. There's nothing going on between me and Merle. The two of you should know that."

Maggie shook her head. "Carol, Merle's dangerous. You don't get it. He's-"

"Stop," Carol snapped, standing up as quickly as Daryl had. "I know why you feel the way you do. And you have every right, every right in the world to feel that way, but that isn't who he is anymore. Merle isn't the greatest man sometimes, and I know that, but he's tried since he's been here."

Neither of them looked convinced and Carol knew that she would never be able to talk either of them into giving Merle a chance. If they ever decided to forgive him then it would be on their terms, and she couldn't even fault them for their animosity.

"I just hope you keep in mind everything Daryl's done for you. The two of you..." Glenn's voice trailed away and he shook his head. He gripped Maggie's hand and pulled her out of the cell, leaving Carol there to stare after them.

Was that how it really was? Did the whole damn prison know how she felt about Daryl, and vice versa? And if so then how was she only now figuring it out? Well, she could answer that right away, actually. Neither one of them had been ready before now and maybe never would have been if all this craziness had never transpired. It pushed them to see what they were to each other. If nothing else came out of this, at least there was that.

She had been planning on going to bed and facing tomorrow with new eyes and a new mindset. She wanted to be fresh so she could really start thinking about a plan of action to fix this mess other than driving back out to the shack. She only came down to grab some water to take back upstairs with her. She shouldn't have. She should have stayed in her cell. She should have locked herself inside and hid under the bunk because Merle Dixon wasn't finished. Not by a long shot, and she knew it.

In the common room, several people were still up, all sitting in groups of two or three, some talking, others engaged in card games or checkers. It wasn't an odd sight by any means. There were plenty of nights that she wound down by beating Rick in a competitive game of cards. But something felt off tonight. Everyone was much more subdued than usual, hushed. Rick glanced up at her, offering a tentative smile but then his focus went right back to the baby in his lap.

The sound of one of the doors slamming had everyone looking up. Merle walked in, but, of course, no one saw him. They saw Daryl and he was sauntering into the middle of the room, looking self satisfied. Carol's stomach sank. That look on his face spelled so much trouble and the only person he could be that smug about causing trouble for was his brother. Her eyes scanned the room and found Daryl sitting with his back against the wall, his head tilted back against the bricks, watching Merle with a resigned look. He knew the man was going to do something but he also knew there was nothing he could do about it.

~H~

Merle couldn't hide the sly grin on his face. He had made amends with those assholes for his brother but that didn't mean that he had to cut Daryl anymore slack than that. He spotted Carol and just his luck she was standing in the middle of the room, watching him closely, warily.

The look on her face caused him to falter a bit. It wasn't her he was trying to mess with. Not really. She just happened to be the one that his brother had set his sites on and that put her in Merle's crosshairs. It didn't mean that he didn't like her. Hell, out of all of them, she was his favorite by far.

He glanced from her back to his brother. Daryl was watching him with that same look on his face. He had no choice but to sit there and wait for Merle to do whatever he'd planned. He didn't look like he was going to get up, he wasn't asking him what he was up to and he wasn't going out of his way to stop him. He was simply watching, completely resigned.

What a couple of sour pusses.

He made his way towards Carol, glancing at his brother but his brother hadn't even moved his head to follow, only his eyes. Carol was waiting and he couldn't gauge the look on her face but then her eyes grew wider and looked almost pleading. He stopped a few feet away from her and he noticed that several people were watching them now. By now big mouth Maggie would have probably told the whole prison that Carol had broken Daryl's bashful little heart. All he was going to do now was make it look like his brother was professing his love to her, begging her to give him a chance. It would have been one hell of a show for sure, Carol would have likely punched him right in the balls, but as he held her gaze he felt his smile slip.

What the hell would that accomplish other than offer himself some entertainment? It would be funny to watch his brother squirm. If Merle dropped to one knee right now, begged her to give him a chance and confess how much he loved her right out here in front of the whole damn group. God, the boy would fucking faint from embarrassment.

On the other hand, what his brother had with Carol was a rare thing, and maybe... just maybe, he shouldn't do this.

But goddamn it would be fun to watch the whole lot of them drop their jaws.

He took another step but stopped.

"Please," Carol whispered, knowing him well enough to know he had something up his sleeve.

It was that quiet plea that did it. There was a whole lot in that one little word that was left unspoken and it hit him in the gut. He chewed his lip and then his eyes slid over to his brother, who was still sitting against the wall, his knees drawn up and his eyes following Merle's every move. And Merle had been expecting outrage on his face by now but it wasn't there. The only thing Merle saw was... well, it was kind of pitiful. Like Daryl was just waiting for Merle to ruin him. And that wasn't what Merle wanted to do at all.

He just liked fucking with him.

He sighed heavily and looked at Carol once more. He closed the distance, gripped the back of her head and pulled her into him until her forehead was pressed against his.

"You two are goddamn lucky I like you so much. You remember that," he grumbled.

She let go of a breath and to his surprise she hugged him. He returned it, allowed himself the small victory of getting a feel of her ass before letting her go and then he stormed up the stairs. He glanced over the railing and saw Daryl watching him, eyes wide and surprised.

Merle flipped him off and kept on going.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Daryl was apprehensive when he went into Merle's room. The day had been the worst of his whole fucking life and all he wanted to do was get some sleep and start over tomorrow. He tried to keep telling himself that he needed to get used to the fact that this very well could be who he was now and he needed to come to terms with that.

He snatched up the wooden chair that sat in the corner and tilted it under the doorknob, which was something he hadn't had to do since he'd been a kid. He wasn't about to risk someone else barging in here, naked and demanding him to join them. He'd had enough of that to last him a lifetime. He should have hunted down that woman's husband and told him all about it but then the man would have wanted to kick Daryl's ass, even though he'd had nothing to do with it.

He sat down heavily, running a hand over his head and sighing loudly. He didn't want to be in here. The more he had to do to pretend that he was Merle for the rest of the group's benefit, the more depressed it made him. He wanted to go back to his own damn cell, be able to sleep knowing that Carol was okay, one wall away. He didn't like being apart from the rest of them because if something happened then he couldn't do a damn thing about it from here. Not that he would be able to help a whole lot anyway. He was useless in Merle's body.

But maybe he needed to get used to it. Or try to anyway.

He stared at the wall for a few long moments, not bothering to lay down even though he felt exhausted. He shouldn't have to sleep in here. Fuck the rest of the group. He kicked the chair out from under the doorknob and threw open the door, not caring that it banged against the wall and possibly woke up half the cell block. He wasn't in the mood to care about them at the moment. All he really wanted to do was sleep in his own damn cell, in his own damn bunk. Merle could go wherever the hell he wanted but Daryl wasn't staying in that room, away from the rest of them, away from Carol.

He took the stairs two at a time and stormed right into her cell before going to his own to let her know that he was going to be her neighbor tonight instead of Merle. She looked up from a book, her eyes wide and startled.

"You okay?" she whispered.

He scoffed. "Sure."

With a roll of her eyes she put the book aside and stood up. "Do you need something?"

"Just lettin' you know that I'm kickin' Merle outta my bunk so if you need me that's where I'll be."

She smiled. "You won't have to do much kicking. He isn't in there."

He scowled. "Where is he?"

The only answer he got was a shrug.

"He better not be doin' some nasty shit," he growled. "I'll see you in the mornin'."

She nodded and he could feel her eyes on him as he walked out. Sure enough, his cell was empty and he never thought he would be so glad to see the space. He had never liked it and the only reason he had moved here in the first place was because the rest of the cell block was so damn crowded now, and after Carol had gotten lost in those tombs, he didn't feel right being too far away from her. Camping out in front of her cell probably wouldn't go unnoticed so this was the next best thing. She was just one block wall away. He slept easier that way.

He turned off the lantern that Merle must have left burning and stretched out on his bunk, groaning as his muscles started to unknot. He had his share of aches and pains in his own body but if he ever got it back he'd never complain about them again. Merle had it way worse, even if he had brought his aches on himself.

He was just about to close his eyes when he saw movement in the doorway and sat up. Carol was standing in the doorway, offering him a small wave. "What are you doin' in here?" he asked.

She shrugged and stepped further into the room. "I thought that maybe..." her voice trailed away and then her arms went around herself as she sighed heavily. "I think it's already been established that we're gonna give this a shot, right?"

He leaned back on his arms, not wanting to have this conversation because he hated talking about shit like this. He'd never liked talking about shit like this. "I thought I kinda made that clear," he huffed, knowing he sounded petulant as fuck and not giving a damn. By now, he was allowed to be pissy if that's what he wanted to be.

"Sometimes you aren't exactly clear about things but, yes, I think so."

"What about it?" he asked, feeling too tired to be having some sort of emotional conversation about their future with her right now.

Instead of saying a word she stepped further into the room, not stopping until she was crawling right onto his bunk and lying down right next to him.

"What the hell are you doin'?" he asked, knowing he wouldn't get any fucking sleep at all if she was in bed with him. Hell, lately being with her in the middle of the day with the rest of the group around was still too damn distracting for his liking. If she was in here, on a bed, in the dark... Well, he wasn't a masochist and he didn't really want to put himself through that kind of torture. He'd had enough for one day.

"If you had your own body right now would you want me in your bunk?" she asked.

He dropped his head onto the pillow. "Yeah," he said, after pausing for only a moment.

"And we have to acknowledge that this might be your body from now on, right?" she asked hesitantly.

He sat up again, appalled. "I'm not havin' sex with you with my brother's toxic junk, Carol! Have you lost your goddamn mind?"

She laughed at that and he moved so his feet were on the floor and she was lying behind him. "Who said anything about sex?" she asked.

He felt his face flame and it felt odd since Merle wasn't used to blushing. Things didn't get to him like they did Daryl. "I thought-"

"I want to get used to this being you. Just in case. Is that okay? I promise I will keep my hands to myself unless you instruct me otherwise. And in that case, I'll see what I can do for you." There was an obvious smile in her voice.

He groaned, wishing she didn't have to fuck with him all the time but knowing that if she did stop, he'd miss it. And despite what he had said about it, he really hated the thought of not physically being with her if he was stuck like this. "This is bullshit," he muttered angrily as he stretched out next to her.

She found his hand and offered him a weak smile. "I know, but we'll get through it one way or another."

He was silent for a while but he knew that she wasn't asleep. When he glanced over sure enough, she was staring up at the underside of the top bunk. "I guess it wasn't a total loss, right? I learned my damn lesson. Bein' Merle, dealin' with the others, that shit ain't easy. He's a tough son of a bitch but I know he hates it. All I was doin' before was lookin' at his faults. I wasn't seeing the situation for what it was. He's done a lot of wrong but at the end of the day, the man has sacrificed a lot and he did it for me."

She gave his hand a quick squeeze and then rolled over until her head was resting on his shoulder. He didn't think he would be able to sleep. Not with her right there, but soon he felt himself dozing off. The last thing he remembered was the sharp clap of thunder that seemed to vibrate his very bones and trying to remember if it had looked overcast the last time he'd been in the prison yard.

~H~

Merle stretched, groaning obnoxiously as he struggled to throw off the shroud of sleep that still seemed to cloud his brain. He didn't feel quite as spry as he had felt when he had woken up yesterday to discover that, physically, he was his very own brother. This morning brought with it the regular aches and pains he'd grown used too over the last five years or so.

He shoved his arm under his pillow and rolled over, his eyes snapping open when his body came into contact with someone else. He wracked his brain, trying to remember who the hell he had been with the night before and wondering if he had time to get rid of the chick before Daryl found him. If he thought Merle was using his dick to get it on with random women the poor boy would likely faint.

The woman shifted, grinding her ass right against Merle's groin and he couldn't help it. His hand went to her hip and urged her to keep right on moving. Fuck it, right? What good was a dick if you couldn't slide it into a warm willing woman every once in a while?

The woman moved, rolling onto her back and Merle froze when the early morning light sifted in through the sheet covering the bars. He met Carol's eyes and cursed.

"Thought you were gonna keep that away from me for a while?" she whispered with a grin. She moved, grinding against him again and raising one brow.

Merle had always allowed himself to enjoy this woman's company. He had even indulged in a few dirty thoughts, snuck in a feel every so often, but other than that he was pretty sure he'd never actually try to sleep with her. He knew how Daryl felt even back when Daryl hadn't had a fucking clue. And then he realized what this meant.

"Shit," he hissed, raising up on his elbow and glancing around the cell. "Did me and you fuck?"

Her eyes widened and she scooted over, sitting up herself and looking rightly scandalized. "Merle!"

He nodded and then snorted when she pulled the blanket up to her chin. "You ain't naked for fucks sake."

She scowled at him. "I'm not wearing a bra and sometimes I think you have some sort of X-Ray vision anyway. As much as you stare."

He stretched out next to her again, wincing when she slapped his chest. "What the hell is your problem. Can a man have a second to process this shit?"

"Get up. I'm not climbing over you."

He grinned. "Ain't like I didn't wake up with you rubbing your ass all over me. Climb away or stay next to the wall over there. Makes no difference to me."

"Where's Daryl?" she asked, surprising him by climbing right over him.

He frowned, trying to remember what the hell he had been doing the night before. He'd talked to one of the newer guys, Bob, for a while and then... "He's passed out somewhere. Got drunk as fuck with one of the newbies and Daryl can't hold his liquor for shit.

Carol cursed and was pointing to the door to her cell. "Out, she demanded.

He scowled at her but the look on her face told him that arguing wouldn't get him anywhere so he got up and left her alone. He didn't envy his little brother at all at the moment. He had his hands full with that damn woman for sure.

~H~

Daryl groaned and felt his stomach roll with nausea as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. His body ached and he felt cold all over and after cracking one eye open he realized why. He was on the concrete floor in one of the unoccupied cells in the block they had just finished clearing, an empty bottle of rot gut not far away. But he had been with Carol last night. He was sure of that fact because he'd had doubts he would be able to sleep with her next to-

He gasped and held up his hands. _His_ hands, turning them back and forth and blinking furiously. Scrambling up he went to the mirror that was affixed to the wall above the sink and though the surface was streaked and coated with a thin layer of dust, he knew the person staring back at him was him.

Last night he had almost convinced himself that he was going to be trapped in his brother's form for the rest of his life. That he'd have to learn to simply deal with it so this was a shock. His churning stomach forgotten he hauled ass out of the cell. And then he nearly stumbled to a stop.

Last night he'd been in bed with Carol. So this morning that was exactly where Merle would wake up. And if he wanted to really mess things up Merle could always play the part of Daryl himself and possibly do something extremely fucked up.

Jesus, it was like his brother was an eighteen year old asshole. He was damn near sprinting by the time he reached the common room and as he hurried through the doorway he actually ran someone over. All he saw was a blond ponytail and heard a childish shriek and knew that Beth would likely sport a concussion for this but he didn't have time to coddle any goddamn kids at the moment. Not when Carol was in bed with the biggest goddamn pervert this side of the apocalypse.

Taking the stairs two at a time he could feel the eyes of the rest of the group on him, hear Beth wailing about whatever injuries he'd managed to give her, but he didn't care. Let them stare. At least he was making an ass of his own self instead Merle doing it for him.

He didn't want to think about what the rest of them saw when they looked at him now. Merle had strutted around in his body for twenty four hours and he'd made the most of it. But there wasn't any time to worry about that and it was a waste anyway because there was nothing he could do about it.

He didn't hesitate outside her cell door like he normally would. Other than the fact that he wasn't trying to be quiet, he gave no more indication that he was about to barge in. It took a split second for his eyes to adjust to the dim room but once they did he caught site of her pulling her shirt the rest of the way down. He had caught her changing and now she was gaping at him.

"You didn't-" he started but she was shaking her head before he could even finish the question.

"Of course I didn't. Is this really over? This easily?"

He closed the distance in just a few strides. "Easily? Where the fuck were you yesterday? Ain't none of this been easy," he grumbled, his hands going to her waist as he backed her into the wall.

She looked up at him, eyes wide, and opened her mouth to speak but he was sick of talking already. His lips were on hers as soon as her back hit the wall and it only took her a second to respond. Her fingers tangled into his hair as the kiss grew deeper and the relief that he felt was palpable. Relief that he finally knew that she felt the same damn way and relief to know that he could be with her while he was him and not his goddamn brother.

He was about to tell himself that he needed to reign it in but a low chuckle from behind him did the trick. He broke the kiss and stepped away, dropping his hands from her hips.

"Wastin' no time, huh? I don't blame you," Merle winked. "You two ready for some breakfast? I'm starved."

Daryl wanted to tell the man to go fuck himself but when he met Merle's eyes he was reminded of how hard things around here really were for the man. And that shit was going to stop today. Even if Merle fought him tooth and nail at first, Daryl planned on repairing the rift in this group.

The three of them made their way down the stairs.

"Are you planning on apologizing?"

Daryl stopped, not surprised that Maggie was standing a few feet away, hands on her hips.

"Beth is refusing to come out of her room. Whatever you were in such a hurry to get to I hope it was worth running her over and causing her to hit the wall. Her front tooth is chipped almost clean off and her nose is never gonna heal right. It'll be crooked."

Daryl did feel bad, actually. "Tell her I'm sorry," he muttered, stepping around her and reaching behind him to grab Carol's hand. After grabbing their bowls from Karen he was about to find a place to sit when he realized Merle was missing.

Karen smiled, apparently knowing who he was searching for. "He's already sitting with Rick. He helped Ty and I with breakfast this morning. He really isn't such a bad guy."

Daryl and Carol shared a look and sure enough, spotted him sitting at a table with Rick, Michonne, and Carl in the far corner of the room. Merle looked like he was in a great mood. Maybe he'd missed his own body as much as Daryl had missed his.

They sat down, both of them watching Merle carefully as Merle watched Rick.

"You feeling more yourself today?" Rick asked, scooping up a huge bite of oatmeal.

Daryl wanted to laugh at the question but he only shrugged. "I guess."

Rick nodded. "Good." He took the bite from his spoon and then Daryl felt a sharp kick to his shin.

Merle was grinning at him and then nodded towards Rick's bowl. Daryl looked at the food but it didn't look much different than Daryl's own. Oatmeal was oatmeal.

They ate for a few minutes in silence and then Rick paused, worked the food in his mouth around with his tongue and then swallowed.

"What?" Daryl asked, dread pooling in his stomach. This could not be good.

"Felt like a chunk of skin or somethin'," Rick said, frowning into his bowl. Finally he shrugged and continued on.

It took a few seconds for Daryl to remember what Merle had found yesterday and before he could think about what he was doing he took his arm and swept Rick's bowl to the floor. Confirmation came when Merle suddenly howled with laughter, stood up and sauntered away with his own bowl.

Carol and Rick were both staring at him with wide eyes but it was Rick that spoke. "What the hell was that about?" he asked.

"Muscle spasm," Daryl said quickly.

Carol nodded. "He was having trouble with them earlier."

Daryl slid his own bowl over. "Take mine. I lost my appetite." Hopefully Rick was the only person that had fallen victim to Merle's little prank.

Rick slid Daryl's bowl over, giving him that look that Daryl was already growing used to, like the others thought he was a few cards short a full deck. When Daryl stood Carol stood with him.

"Seriously, why did you do that?" she asked, their heads close together as Daryl took off in the direction he had seen Merle heading.

Daryl scowled. "Remember what he found?"

Carol frowned and then shook her head. "Things have been a little off. Refresh my memory."

"Merle put dick skin in Rick's oatmeal," Daryl hissed.

Carol stopped in her tracks, her mouth hanging open as her wide eyes met his. "He wouldn't have!"

Daryl eyed her, his brows raised.

"Really?" she made a face, glanced around and then covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her own laughter.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked once they were outside.

She shook her head, once again tried to give him a serious look but failed miserably. "I'm sorry. It's really awful." She snorted with laughter all over again.

"You've spent way to much time with that asshole lately," Daryl grumbled, feeling genuinely bad for Rick.

Carol finally quieted and then grabbed his hand. "You're probably right, but you have to admit that there's been plenty of times you wouldn't have minded doing something to the man yourself."

"Not that," Daryl said firmly, genuinely surprised at the woman.

He hadn't realized where they had been headed until he looked around and realized that she had led him to a remote corner. They were concealed on three sides by the prison walls. "What are we doing out here?" he asked, hoping he was guessing correctly.

She turned then, wasting no more time. Her mouth was hot and greedy and all he could do was hope that no one came out here looking for them because she was tugging hard at his belt already. He wasn't going to stop her. This was what he had wanted for a damn long time and if yesterday taught him anything, it was that he needed to take what he wanted.

 **And that's a wrap! Sorry you guys! I had to take advantage of the moment and terrorize Beth a little. Lol Hope some of you enjoyed this story and I appreciate all of you that stuck around after giving it a shot =)**


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